Chapter 83: Pledging Allegiance to Su Chen
"How is that even possible?"Gao Qiqiang snatched the blanket away and questioned angrily,"How could a five-star hotel not have thick quilts?"
Mount Phoenix was a popular tourist destination all year round. It made no sense that the Green Forest Hotel, a luxury establishment, wouldn't have proper winter bedding.
"I don't know either… I just couldn't find any,"Old Xu hurriedly wrapped himself in a thin quilt, his face full of distress.
"Boss Gao, could it be… Su Chen's group took it all?"A Biao held Xiao Mei tightly in his arms, both of them wrapped together in a quilt, relying on each other's body warmth just to stay somewhat comfortable.
"Didn't Wang Ye mention that Su Chen had them searching for warm supplies earlier?"
Gao Qiqiang frowned as he recalled Wang Ye's words."That was a while ago. Are you saying Su Chen could predict this extreme cold?""If he really had that kind of foresight, he'd be a god!"
A Biao sneered,"Boss Gao, I'm telling you, Su Chen must know something we don't.""Otherwise, why would he stockpile so many supplies in advance?"
Now that A Biao pointed it out, Gao Qiqiang also began to suspect something.
Before the apocalypse even started, Su Chen had been hoarding supplies and had retreated to Mount Phoenix to evade the disaster.Before the heavy rain ended, he had already sent people to scavenge all the warm materials on the mountain.Looking back, the reason he had people chopping wood must've been to build fires for warmth!
Just as A Biao said—Su Chen's every move indicated that he knew something about the apocalypse.
Gao Qiqiang and A Biao's speculation wasn't wrong.They simply couldn't imagine that Su Chen had actually been reborn.
"If that's really the case, Boss Gao, then we definitely can't let him off easy!"A Biao spoke darkly.
"You're right… But before we deal with him, we need to survive first!"Gao Qiqiang shivered.
As the snow intensified, temperatures kept plummeting.He could barely feel his limbs—his mind was going numb from the cold.What was the point of revenge if they didn't survive?
"Boss Gao, maybe we can… start a fire for warmth…"Old Xu stammered.
Right!A spark of realization lit up in Gao Qiqiang's eyes.
Though he hadn't prepared firewood like Su Chen, there was still a lot of wooden furniture in the hotel that could be used as fuel.
The group sprang into action, breaking apart wooden furniture to use as firewood.They even built a makeshift fireplace.Once the fire was lit, the temperature in the room finally began to rise, and they all breathed a little easier.
Meanwhile, in Song Linfei's camp.
Compared to Gao Qiqiang's group, Song Linfei's situation was significantly better.Although not as thoroughly prepared as Su Chen's team, they had done fairly well.
A group of people gathered around the fireplace, eating and discussing their next steps.
"Yingying, thank goodness we listened to you. Otherwise, we'd be in real trouble now."Song Linfei felt a wave of relief.
When he had ordered his team to imitate Su Chen's preparations, many had voiced strong opposition.Fortunately, he had stood firm.If he hadn't, some of the older team members might've frozen to death the moment the temperature dropped!
Lin Yingying smiled slightly but remained silent, her expression thoughtful.
"What's wrong, Yingying? What are you thinking about?"Zhou Shixian asked in a flattering tone.
"I'm wondering how Su Chen knew about the extreme cold,"she said slowly.
Her words stunned everyone, including Song Linfei and Zhou Shixian.
"He probably just guessed,"Zhou Shixian said with a shrug.
Lin Yingying frowned and said coldly,"Once, maybe. Twice, maybe. But every single time?"
Zhou Shixian was immediately silenced.
Song Linfei quickly stepped in to ease the tension,"Yingying, what do you think? How does he know all this?"
"I think… he knows the truth behind everything."After careful thought, Lin Yingying arrived at the same conclusion as Gao Qiqiang.
"If that's the case, then maybe we should… pledge allegiance to Su Chen,"Song Linfei said suddenly, catching everyone off guard.
"Brother Song, why would we ever join that bastard?"Zhou Shixian protested quickly.
"The apocalyptic world is already harsh enough. Who knows what new disasters will come after this extreme cold?"Song Linfei sighed bitterly,"If Su Chen knows the truth behind it all, joining him could drastically increase our chances of survival."
"But that's just speculation! What if he doesn't know anything at all?"Zhou Shixian was visibly anxious.He could sense the unusual bond between Lin Yingying and Su Chen.And after seeing how Lin Yingying's attitude toward Su Chen had grown colder, he suspected there was unfinished business between them.If Song Linfei led their group to join Su Chen, Lin Yingying might fall back into Su Chen's hands!
So Zhou Shixian was desperately trying to talk them out of it.
"Even if he doesn't know anything, he still has the supplies!"Song Linfei replied with slight irritation.
Being someone experienced in dealing with people, he had already guessed Zhou Shixian's motivations.But as the leader, his responsibility was to ensure the survival of the team—not to worry about personal matters.
"Brother Song, that's easier said than done. Su Chen might not be so quick to accept us."Lin Yingying shook her head.
Even before the apocalypse, Su Chen had been distant toward others.In a post-apocalyptic world like this, there was even less reason for him to trust outsiders.Accepting strangers without absolute certainty could put his entire team at risk.
"I know. But Yingying, you have a good relationship with him. Why not be our envoy…"Song Linfei said with hopeful eyes.
"Me?"Lin Yingying was dumbfounded.
She had already taken a large stockpile of medicine from Su Chen, with a favor still owed.And now they wanted her to go and persuade him to accept a whole team of people?She felt like a character in Journey to the West, being forced to help the enemy!
"I know it's a tough ask, but no one else can do it.""For the sake of the team… I'm begging you."Song Linfei said sincerely.
"…Alright. I'll give it a try."After a moment's hesitation, Lin Yingying finally nodded.
It was freezing outside, so she had to bundle up in thick clothes.She put on a down jacket, hat, gloves, and fully geared up against the cold before leaving the hotel.
As she disappeared into the snow, Zhou Shixian's handsome face twisted with resentment, his eyes filled with bitter hatred!